General Assembly Official Records Fifty-Ninth Session
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United Nations A/59/PV.9 General Assembly Official Records Fifty-ninth session 9th plenary meeting Friday, 24 September 2004, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Ping ............................................... (Gabon) The meeting was called to order at 10.20 a.m. I shall now deliver my address in Portuguese — which, as the Assembly is aware, is the official Address by Mr. Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes, language of Sao Tome and Principe. President of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome (spoke in Portuguese; English text furnished by the and Principe delegation) The President (spoke in French): The Assembly Allow me, at the outset, to congratulate you most will now hear an address by the President of the warmly, Mr. President, on your election as President of Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. the fifty-ninth session on the General Assembly, whose Mr. Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes, proceedings will undoubtedly benefit from your President of the Democratic Republic of Sao personal qualities and your experience in international Tome and Principe, was escorted into the General relations. Gabon and my country, Sao Tome and Assembly Hall. Principe, have long enjoyed a very good relationship of cooperation at various levels, and my delegation The President (spoke in French): On behalf of wishes you success in your new functions. the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Fradique May I also thank the President’s predecessor, Bandeira Melo de Menezes, President of the President Julian Robert Hunte of Saint Lucia, for the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, and to excellent work he has done. invite him to address the Assembly. On behalf of people of Sao Tome and Principe, I President De Menezes (spoke in French): As would like to pay tribute to the Secretary-General for French is the most widely recognized official language his relentless efforts and dedication at the service of in the Central Africa subregion, I should like to begin the goals of the United Nations, and for his work in my statement by addressing a few words to the promoting peace and development. Assembly in that common language. This session of the General Assembly is taking I would like to say how pleased I am to be here place during a particularly complex international with you today, Mr. President — you in your capacity situation. Violence and the violation of human rights as the President of the General Assembly and me in are increasing. The United Nations must play its role as mine as President of my country. I am also pleased to a matter of priority; otherwise world order could address the Assembly in order to speak on behalf of the collapse. More than ever before, Governments must people of Sao Tome and Principe. give a universal forum like this the responsibility to rebuild international order on the basis of peace, This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum. 04-52154 (E) *0452154* A/59/PV.9 respect for human rights, security and cooperation for warming. Our shorelines are eroding and our national development. Unilateralism must be put aside. We have territory is shrinking as the seas rise. Is my small to work together for a better world. country to end up nothing but a tiny volcanic peak sticking out above the waves, with the last of our Intolerance, terrorism, occupation, discrimination, people clinging to the land left unclaimed by the rising organized crime and social injustice are some of the sea? The Kyoto Protocol must be implemented by all sources of today’s open conflicts. Religious differences for the benefit of all. and drug trafficking in some countries are driving people to high levels of violence and destruction. We The Governments of Africa launched the New the people the United Nations have to do our best to Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), aiming stop those atrocities, or unprotected groups of society specifically at optimally mobilizing both African and will disappear and the spiral of violence could spread international resources and at harmonizing out of control. contributions through a partnership based on mutual commitments and balanced interests and responsibilities. Darfur is an example of discrimination and Peace, good governance, security and development are atrocity. We call on Sudan’s Government to fulfil all challenges that all African Governments and peoples the provisions contained in Security Council resolution have to face. They must create the conditions to 1556 (2004), which was adopted on 30 July. achieve those goals. Those goals are far from being It is completely unacceptable that 50 million reached, given the numerous conflicts and the destructive people worldwide have become refugees or have been and negatives effects of conflicts. My Government will internally displaced as a result of having been driven continuously support NEPAD and will work to create from their homes by war, persecution and human rights the foundations for its implementation. abuses. We now needed concrete action by leaders and Most countries continue to face the challenge of peoples to ensure that the perpetrators of criminal HIV/AIDS and other diseases. In some parts of Africa behaviour are brought to justice, thereby rebuilding HIV/AIDS is devastating entire families, societies, confidence among peoples and nations, but especially cultures and economies. Treatment is still expensive, to address the root causes of violence. and our economy has started to feel the negative effects Small island States will meet in Mauritius to of the disease. Unless there are additional resources and assess the progress made since the Global Conference scientific investment to find a cure for HIV/AIDS, hope on the Sustainable Development of Small Island for progress in Africa will continue to be far from reach. Developing States, which was held in Barbados. It is not only health problems that afflict poor Progress in the implantation of the Barbados countries. Globalization affects some because few have Programme of Action has been mixed. At Mauritius, all the necessary conditions to develop trade and key issues will be reviewed and decisions and commerce and to take advantage of new technologies. recommendations will be made with regard to the The latest efforts by the World Trade Organization in questions of climate change, natural and environmental Geneva are an example of the fact that those who have disasters, fresh water, land resources, waste too much could make a difference by giving away a management, tourism, energy, transport, biodiversity little to poor countries. If that is not done, we will and coastal and marine resources. All those are issues continue to face discriminatory tariffs and to affecting the ecosystems of small islands as a result of experience erosion in quality of life. global warming. They can only be solved gradually and if the international community increases resources My country regrets that international relations in effectively to support the sustainable development of some parts of the world have deteriorated to the point small island States. We would like to take this where extreme violence, destruction and violation of opportunity to thank the international community for human rights and the environment are daily facts of everything it has done to date. I would like to extend a life, and where the use and abuse of dangerous special thanks to the Government of Mauritius for its weapons is endemic. We also regret that refugees and efforts to organize the special international conference. children are among the targets in those conflicts. As an island nation, Sao Tome and Principe Tragedies cannot be our destiny. Tragedies and continues to see its very existence threatened by global natural disasters such as the ones we face in Iraq, the 2 A/59/PV.9 Middle East, Bangladesh and some countries in Africa closer together and to draw up recommendations in and elsewhere are testimony of the fact that mankind is order to avoid more instability in the country. moving towards facing bigger challenges. My On the economic front, we are preparing the Government thinks that multilateralism under the country for a new era based on oil exploration and framework of the United Nations is the only way for production. Our National Assembly has adopted a law the international community to be able to achieve on the management of the revenues that we will lasting peace and development. eventually receive from oil companies. That shows that Terrorism around the world is causing corruption will be fought, that the new generation will destruction, destabilizing Governments and killing be protected and that the country will have enough people in places such as Madrid, the Middle East and resources for development. elsewhere. We are confronted by a dilemma, because The Government and the people of Sao Tome and thus far all the strategies employed to fight this scourge Principe adhere to the principles of respect for the are not producing significant results. Under the sovereignty of all countries and following the path of authority of the Security Council, we must guarantee dialogue, tolerance and mutual understanding among the universality of, and compliance with, non- peoples. We call on all members of the United Nations proliferation treaties. to do likewise for the sake of a better world. My Government supports the recommendations I would like to conclude by expressing our of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Timor-Leste.